Cultural and psychological factors (part 1/4)

Historically, the peoples of southern Africa have used Traditional Healers (TH) to aid them in terms of health and to help them improve their life situation in various ways. Access to Government health services and ‘Western’ medicine remains low in many areas, and the use of TH is widespread and for many it remains a 1st choice. It has been documented that TH have developed many remedies using herbs and plants which alleviate their patients’ problems, although it is often dismissed by Western medicine. WHO challenges this, and calls for an integration of traditional medicine into the national health care system and also wants to promote the proper use of traditional medicine by developing and providing international standards, technical guidelines and methodologies.

WHO defines traditional medicine as follows “Traditional medicine as including diverse health practices, approaches, knowledge and beliefs incorporating plant, animal, and/or mineral based medicines, spiritual therapies, manual techniques and exercises applied singularly or in combination to maintain well-being, as well as to treat, diagnose or prevent illness”.

As seen in the WHO definition of traditional medicine, the use of human body parts are not considered part of traditional medicine. Rather, the use of body parts can be considered witchcraft and a harmful traditional practice. Yet, in practice, the terms witchdoctor and Traditional Healer are sometimes used interchangeably. 'Witchcraft' typically refers to malevolent or harmful magic, and is often considered to be a cultural ideology (Klaniczay, 2006). Some informants in this research project made a clear distinction between TH and witchdoctors as seen in a previous post.

A New Research Project

Information on trafficking body parts has previously been based almost entirely on hearsay and has been easy for both Governments and Civil Society to claim it either does not occur or is so infrequent it does not merit any response or attention. The findings in the report however, show that regular mutilations occur both in South Africa and Mozambique and body parts are forcibly removed from children and adults causing death or severe disability. Throughout the report, informants share personal experiences which confirm that body parts are taken across the border between South Africa and Mozambique. Through numerous accounts, both hearsay and firsthand, from Civil Society and Government institutions, the following questions are answered:

• What is the incidence and prevalence of trafficking body parts in South Africa and Mozambique?
• What are the macro (socio-economic, cultural, political, historical), interpersonal and individual factors that lead to trafficking body parts?
• What policies and programmes are in place to counter trafficking body parts?
• How can Civil Society and Governments use this information to improve their programmes?

The report documents that body parts are frequently trafficked in South Africa and Mozambique and so-called witchdoctors, usually through a third party, actively seek human body parts from live victims to be used in their medicine. The research found that it is a commonly held belief in South Africa and Mozambique that traditional medicine, when made with body parts, is stronger and more powerful.

The report highlights that the policies and programmes in place to counter trafficking body parts are practically nonexistent. The limited policies that could be used to counter this activity are out of date and not generally enforced.

The report draws attention to the lack of an internationally recognised definition of trafficking body parts and highlights that without such a definition, any attempt to counter this activity

will be impaired and these Human Rights violations will continue unabated.

Currently a second project is underway which aims, through workshops and focus groups, to reduce the demand through awareness raising activities within the affected communities and the supply, through initiatives with Traditional Healers associations, Border Officials and Governments. The objectives include carrying on with research, raising awareness, civic education, collecting and monitoring information and data on trafficking body parts, providing support for victims, witnesses and communities affected by the problem.

An important aspect of the project community involvement. The project will focus on working with communities towards a solution for reducing the supply and demand of body parts and it is essential that the behavior change comes from within the community. It is hoped that the communities will also feel valued as their ideas will implemented and they will be able to take ownership of both the problem and the solution.

Supply and Demand

The research performed by the Mozambican Human Rights League showed that there was a link between Muti and business, in other words, trafficking body parts is part of the supply and demand business of Muti. These Muti practices that are prevalent in South Africa and Mozambique are a cultural belief that body parts will make the medicine more effective and that it can solve any problem, ranging from poverty to health issues. The research interviews showed that so-called witchdoctors have a firm belief themselves that human body parts are needed for strong Muti. Witchdoctors, usually through a third party, actively seek human body parts from live victims.

Also, from the results of this research it seemed that, when linking Mozambique and South Africa, the movement of body parts was always from Mozambique to South Africa, which means that Mozambique acts as a supplier and South Africa as a recipient. A woman working as a stall holder on the South African side of the border said “I saw a human head on top of some vegetables that were inside those big bags they use to carry goods […] It was the head of a child […] someone was trying to take the head from Mozambique to South Africa”. There was also the account of an “old lady” who was attacked and beheaded in Mozambique. The head was found in “Tsatsimbe River where they crushed the head to remove the brain” which was said to have been taken to South Africa. The interviewer heard 3 separate firsthand accounts of this incident, from a Policeman, a Community Member and a Neighbourhood Secretary. And, finally, an informant confirmed that the three cases that she reported were about body parts being moved from Mozambique to South Africa.